A Whole New Level
by Zuvios Gemini
Summary: It was hard to shock  ...  up until now. Shameless Hanna/... gayness ensues. WAFF.


A/N: Expect more HiNaBN fics from me. This is one fandom I ain't letting go of. XD As much as I hate David Archuleta, listening to "Crush" by him adds to the story.

Just a suggestion.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! HiNaBN and all related belongs to Tessa Stone**

**Rated T for swearing and blood I guess.**

o-o-o-o-o

I'm not one to shock easily. It takes a lot these days. For example, a vampire tearing my arm off at the seams (that's happened before), or being possessed by a ghost (that's happened before too). Of course, those experiences only mildly shocked me; more like surprised me, actually. However, coming home to the apartment after grocery shopping and seeing Hanna lying on the couch?

That shocked me.

I stared at him for a moment from the doorway before actually entering the room and shutting the door. I set the groceries and my keys on the table. Another glance in Hanna's direction showed me that he hadn't acknowledged my presence yet.

Strange. He was usually so animated and ready to eat when I came home.

"Hanna?" I spoke softly, removing my coat and draping it over the back of a chair. He didn't respond. A cold ball of worry settled in my stomach. I did my best to ignore it as I moved forward into the living room.

For the first time in a long time, I cursed violently.

"HANNA! Jesus Fucking Christ…" I rushed to his side, sweeping my gaze over his body.

Damn that was a lot of blood.

His shallow breathing was uneven as he struggled to open his eyes. A weak smile flitted across his face when he finally recognized me, despite the fact that his glasses had a broken lens.

"Hey Jeremiah…" He rasped. A little blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth when he spoke.

"You bring the groceries home?" He said, averting his eyes from my stern gaze.

"Hanna what happened." I said, feeling a flicker of anger stir in my chest. His glassy eyes rolled back in his head temporarily before he looked at me again. Before he even opened his mouth, I knew he was going to lie to me.

"Nothin' special really…" Hanna mumbled half-heartedly, looking away from me again. My angry silence prompted him to speak again.

"Okay okay maybe I got a call about a werecat problem while you were out…" He said, weakly wiping some blood from his face.

"Am I to assume that you went after it?" I did my best to keep my voice level. I wasn't exactly sure if I was still angry or just worried out of my damn mind.

The redhead looked at me, then back down to the couch, picking at some of the exposed stuffing.

That would be a yes then. I sighed.

"Why didn't you wait until I got back?"

"No way Ernest, you wouldn't have been home for another hour. It couldn't wait. The cat would have gotten away." He argued. I let a small smile slip.

Even if he sucked at it, Hanna was passionate about what he did. He was out to change the world and no one was going to stop him. I admired him for that.

My eyes swept over his small form again, taking in all the deep gashes and tattered clothing. He picked relentlessly at the couch. Some of the fluff stuck to his bloody fingers. He was blatantly ignoring me.

After watching him a moment longer, I grasped his sticky hand, keeping him from further damaging the couch. His bright blue eyes glinted with guilt when he finally looked up from our hands. Damn those eyes…

I relented, getting up and getting a towel from the bathroom. When I reentered the room, Hanna had managed to somewhat sit up, although I could see that he was breathing hard again, his face tired and haggard-looking.

With a little protest and a few curses, I managed to get him wrapped up safe and tight in the towel. I put my coat and hat back on and picked the redhead up gingerly.

We decided to take the back way to Worth's place. After all, a zombie-looking guy carrying another man in a bloody towel just wasn't something you saw, even in this part of town.

It was sort of chilly that night, so I did my best to keep Hanna warm so he wouldn't go into shock or something, despite my lack of body heat. He eventually settled for curling into me, keeping his face pressed against my chest, over where my heart should have been beating.

Worth answered the door with his usual gruff sarcasm.

"Christ whut kin'a trouble'd ya get yerself inta now?" He said, moving aside to let us in. I went to the back, settling Hanna down gently on the operating table-turned hospital bed. He smiled weakly at me when Worth shooed me out.

During those long 15-minute 'procedures', as Worth called them, I thought a lot. Not about anything in particular; my life thus far as a dead man, my job with Hanna, the friends I've made, life with Hanna…

Okay so Hanna was a popular topic. It wasn't like I could help it. I spent almost every minute with him.

I lived with him, I cooked for him, I worked with him, I even slept with him on occasion. (Wipe that grin off your face, you know what I mean.)

All of our friends saw me as Hanna's partner (shut up) and right-hand man; the green dude who hung around with him. But Hanna himself didn't see me like that. He genuinely viewed me as a friend; someone he could depend on. Sometimes I still wonder where I would be if I hadn't found him… where _he_ would be…

Probably dead; a thought I wasn't fond of entertaining.

True to his word, Worth emerged 15 minutes after I had left.

"Patched 'im up fer ya. 'Can go an' see 'im if ya like." He said, removing his bloody gloves and lighting up another cigarette. I nodded my thanks and crossed the room, pushing the door open slowly.

Hanna was still lying on the table, but he had gauze and surgical tape obscuring a good percentage of his body; probably covering up stitches and (more) staples. He didn't look too pleased but he brightened and smiled widely when he saw me.

"Melik, hey!" He chirped, wincing slightly and putting a hand to his side when he sat up.

I sat down in the chair next to the table, smiling at him.

"So uh you don't need to be mad at me anymore, Javier, because Worth was pissed too. He made sure he let me know when he fixed me up." He said, offering me half a smile.

I cocked an eyebrow but said nothing for the moment. I reached out and gently grabbed his hand, now clean of any blood. Just like he had back at the apartment, he stared at our hands before lifting his eyes to meet mine.

"So, what have we learned about werecats today?" I said in a playfully serious voice; a voice I only used with him.

He laughed lightly, wincing before answering.

"They're mean sons-of-bitches?"

"And?"

"And that I shouldn't go after them alone. I should wait for you to come home, Adam." He smiled wide. I smiled back when a thought occurred to me.

"There was a name you called me earlier… It started with a 'J' I think."

Hanna raised an eyebrow.

"Jeremiah?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Yea that one. I may not remember my real name, but I do actually like that one."

The look on Hanna's face was priceless. His jaw had dropped open and his eyes were huge.

"R-really? So I should call you Jeremiah now?"

I shrugged, looking at our hands resting on the table. The warmth I could feel from his hand was comforting in the dreary room. I was quite content to just sit there and hold his hand, but Hanna had other plans.

He removed his hand from mine and ran it through his hair, groping at his side for his glasses with the other. I reached out and handed them to him, noticing that he paused when our fingers brushed.

He put his glasses on slowly, lifting his eyes to mine just as slow. I stared back, not quite sure what I was looking for.

We sat in silence for a moment before Hanna's voice broke it.

"Jeremiah." He said softly.

"Yes?"

"I was just seeing how it sounded. I like it." He said, smiling. The smile he gave me wasn't like the others I'd seen before. This one was different. I couldn't quite put a name to it… endearing maybe?

"I do too." I said, looking down when Hanna's hand slid over and held mine, lacing our fingers together. It was my turn to stare.

"Uhm…"

Hanna's voice made me look up. I was surprised to see a blush dusting Hanna's cheeks. I was silent, waiting for him to speak again. He mumbled something under his breath.

"Pardon me?" I said.

"Can I… kiss you…" He said, his blush deepening with each word. He shyly looked up at me. My expression must have said it all.

He threaded his fingers through my hair before slowly pulling me to him, pressing his lips softly to mine. I was glad I still remembered what to do.

I wrapped an arm gently around his waist, holding him as close as he would allow me. His lips parted and mine followed suit. He tasted like the pancakes I had made him that morning; sweet and sugary. For a split second I hoped I didn't taste like dirt or something.

When he pulled away, it took me a second to open my eyes and look at him. I didn't think it was possible, but his eyes looked brighter.

"I think this brings a whole new level to our relationship…" I said, a smile gracing my features when Hanna shyly kissed me again.

"I think you're right." He said. He wrapped his arms around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder with a smile.

I nuzzled my nose into his wild hair, once again content to sit there for eternity.

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A/N: Just so you know, all my HiNaBN fics will now have {…} named as Jeremiah. Cuz I'm cool like that. :P

Review please!


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